Steven Munatones of the Daily News of Open Water Swimming reports, Rod McDowall, Operations Manager of Red Sail Sports, is arranging for a flotilla of boats to escort Penny Palfrey from Little Cayman Island (West End Lighthouse) to her expected finish on Grand Cayman Island at Morritts Tortuga on the East End on June 9th.

Read more here; http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/05/carib-princess-to-escort-penny-palfrey.html I certainly do have a fabulous and committed team!

Bridge Swim Sponsors

-          Cayman Airways http://www.caymanairways.com/ 

-          Sunshine Suites Resort http://www.sunshinesuites.com/ 

-          Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/ 

-          Cayman Islands Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1594292&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL  

-          Red Sail Sports http://www.redsail.com/en/index.html 

-          Esso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso 

-          Flowers Group http://www.flowersseaswim.com/BridgeSwim/tabid/204/Default.aspx 

-          Caymanian Compass http://www.compasscayman.com/ 

-          Digicel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digicel 

Extremely flattering, a little embarrassing, fabulous story, love the picts! Thank you Steven Munatones and Open Water Source! http://www.openwatersource.com/penny-palfrey.html

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/05/scenes-from-open-water-swimming-world.html

http://www.compasscayman.com/whatshot/2011/05/03/In-the-swim-of-things/

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2011/05/10/Flowers-call-on-Steve-s-passion/

Bridge Swim Sponsors

-          Cayman Airways http://www.caymanairways.com/ 

-          Sunshine Suites Resort http://www.sunshinesuites.com/ 

-          Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/ 

-          Cayman Islands Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1594292&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL  

-          Red Sail Sports http://www.redsail.com/en/index.html 

-          Esso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso 

-          Flowers Group http://www.flowersseaswim.com/BridgeSwim/tabid/204/Default.aspx 

-          Caymanian Compass http://www.compasscayman.com/ 

-          Digicel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digicel 

Nice article about Shark Shields by Norma Connolly of the CayCompass.

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2011/05/20/Shark-shield-to-protect-swimmer/    

Penny a role model for mums, report by the CayCompass

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2011/05/18/Penny-is-a-role-model-for-mums/ 

And The Daily News of Open Water Swimming by Steven Munatones

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/05/mums-word-in-open-water.html

The beautiful Cayman Islands are just two weeks away for Penny, Chris and her support team which includes Steven Munatones from The Daily News of Open Water Swimming.

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/05/this-is-not-pool-this-is-cayman-islands.html

Bridge Swim Sponsors

-          Cayman Airways http://www.caymanairways.com/ 

-          Sunshine Suites Resort http://www.sunshinesuites.com/ 

-          Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/ 

-          Cayman Islands Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1594292&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL  

-          Red Sail Sports http://www.redsail.com/en/index.html 

-          Esso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso 

-          Flowers Group http://www.flowersseaswim.com/BridgeSwim/tabid/204/Default.aspx 

-          Caymanian Compass http://www.compasscayman.com/ 

-          Digicel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digicel 

As promised here’s the second account of one of my channel swims where I’ve encountered a Great White Shark. Again Jose Diaz from Nadandolibre , which means swim free has done a wonderful job on his website. Jose says thanks all the readers of part 1 which was published last week, he told me he’d already had over 450 people read the story from all around the world.

http://nadandolibrelosmejoresdelmundo.blogspot.com/2011/05/penny-palfrey-swimming-with-great-white.html

Thank you for reading my stories and blogs and thank you for your interest in our open water swimming, I hope you enjoy part 2!

[singlepic id=801 w=320 h=240 float=]

Penny Palfrey

Bridging the Cayman Islands Swim – Profile of Jeff Kozlovich

Over the past several months I’ve been profiling each of my support team members of my Bridging the Cayman Islands swim. Today I’m bringing you the profile of Hawaiian team member Jeff Kozlovich.

Jeff’s a full time lifeguard on the beaches of Oahu in Hawaii. It’s hard to surpass Jeff when it comes to enthusiasm, commitment and energy. He’s so excited about the open water swims that I do and just loves to be a part of these immense challenges. Jeff, an extreme athlete himself is no stranger to immense challenges.

Jeff has many great strengths and qualities that will be a huge asset to the team as well as his great energy and enthusiasm. Jeff’s been a part of both my Kaieiewaho Channel swim attempts in Hawaii during 2010 and an integral part of the support team during my successful Molokai channel swim in March this year. Jeff sat up all night during the Tsunami with us after we were evacuated from our Molokai hotel at 10pm then happily and enthusiastically supported me by kayak for the majority of my 11 ½ hour swim.

Jeff will predominantly be water support crew during my 69 mile / 110 kilometres Bridging the Cayman Islands swim from Little to Grand Cayman Island on June 9^th, 2011. Jeff will escort me by kayak, stand up paddleboard and in the inflatable boat (IRB).

Here is a little more information about Jeff,

Jeff Kozlovich

*Paddle boarder with many extreme paddles to his credit including an age group win in the Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race .

*Triathlete participating in over 60 triathlons.

*Ultra distance runner with thousands of miles logged both barefoot and with shoes on both pavement and trails.

*XTERRA Survivor

*Coach, guide and in water safety for some of the most extreme open water ocean swims ever!

*Ocean Safety and United States Lifesaving Association Lifeguard

*Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician. (NREMT)

*Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor

*NCSF Fitness Instructor

On Jeff’s agenda for this year:

Kualoa Ranch Xterra Offroad Triathlon

Escorting Penny Palfrey on her world record distance open water swim attempt in the Cayman Islands

HURT Peacock Flats 100k trail race.

Jeff’s blog address is http://kozhawaii.blogspot.com/ 

Bridge Swim Sponsors

-          Cayman Airways http://www.caymanairways.com/ 

-          Sunshine Suites Resort http://www.sunshinesuites.com/ 

-          Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/ 

-          Cayman Islands Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1594292&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL  

-          Red Sail Sports http://www.redsail.com/en/index.html 

-          Esso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso 

-          Flowers Group http://www.flowersseaswim.com/BridgeSwim/tabid/204/Default.aspx 

-          Caymanian Compass http://www.compasscayman.com/ 

-          Digicel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digicel 

Last Tuesday (May 10th) Chris became the first person to swim between the mainland and Rattlesnake Island, at the southern end of Halifax Bay.

His next project will be a swim from Orpheus Island to the mainland, this coming weekend. He will swim on whichever day offers the best conditions.

This swim has also never been done before.

Chris plans to leave from the small beach next to Yank’s jetty (at the southern end of Orpheus) and to finish at Taylor’s Beach (east of Ingham), somewhere between the mouth of Victoria Creek and Lady Elliot Reef. The distance will be about 18 klms. Chris is expecting the swim to take up to 6 hours to complete.

Good luck Chris!

Penny Palfrey – Swimming With Great White Sharks

Recently Jose Diaz from Spain asked me to write about my two encounters with Great White Sharks during my channel swims.

I’ve been super busy training and organising my Bridging the Cayman Islands swim in June but managed to find some time to write of my first encounter with a Great White during my Santa Barbara Island to Point Vincente swim in California in 2009.

Part 2 of my encounters with Great White Sharks will come as soon as I have chance to get it from my head and into my computer…..Jose Diaz is waiting!

Part1is here; ”On two of my channel crossings I’ve swum very close to a great white shark. The moments were fleeting the memories will last a life time”.

Follow the link to read the full story. http://nadandolibrelosmejoresdelmundo.blogspot.com/2011/05/penny-palfrey-swimming-great-white.html

Associated link from The Daily News of Open Water Swimming; http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/05/blaine-and-palfrey-smiling-swimming.html

On Tuesday May 10^th Chris was successful in completing his swim from Saunders Beach to Rattlesnake Island a distance of 14 kilometres, in a time of four hours and eleven minutes. Chris began his swim at 8.18am from Saunders Beach, North of Townsville and finished on a sandy beach on Rattlesnake Island at 12.29pm.

We will bring more details when Chris has written his swim report. For now here’s a photo gallery from our morning on the water in beautiful North Queensland.

Thank you to captain and crew and all who sent their good wishes for his swim.

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This weekend Chris was scheduled to swim from Saunders Beach to Rattlesnake Island a distance of 13 – 14 kilometres. http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/04/open-water-swimming-signs-of-caution.html unfortunately due to the weather forecast predicting winds of 20-25 knots on Saturday the swim has been postponed until Tuesday May 10th when the forecast’s looking more accommodating. This has of course ‘rocked the boat’ however, being a weekday the support team Chris had lined up will be working and unable to crew, we’ve made few changes and the problems solved, Chris is set for his swim from Saunders Beach to Rattlesnake Island this coming Tuesday. Go Chris! [singlepic id=982 w=320 h=240 float=]

Dan is another of our modest, unassuming New York crew members. In fact when Dan didn’t send me any info about himself I told him I would simply have to make it up.  He’s still dodging this one so I’ll tell you about Dan.

I met Dan in Dover in 2006; I was staying at the Varne Ridge holiday park overlooking the Dover Straits and across to France. This holiday park is the place to stay for swimmers from around the globe who aspire to swim the English Channel. There I met Erica Moffat one of Dan’s fellow swimmers from New York. Dan planned to crew for Erica on her English Channel swim then he was booked to do his own EC swim about a week later. By the time Dan arrived in Dover I had already heard quite a lot about him and I could tell that he was well liked within the swimming community. Erica, Dan and I all had successful channel swims and became friends.

The following year I was looking for a new challenge, Dan suggested Chris and I go to New York and swim the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS). Since then we’ve crossed paths at the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida, MIMS over three consecutive years, California, and Spain for a Gibraltar Strait crossing in 2010.

Dan’s crewed me on two of my MIMS swims and on my reverse Manhattan attempt in 2009. He travelled to California to train with me and crew for me during my San Miguel swim in 2008, and my double crossing of the Gibraltar Strait in 2010.

Dan has not only swum the English Channel, he’s swum the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and many others. Dan’s also crewed for many swimmers from New York to the Dover. [singlepic id=977 w=320 h=240 float=]

Dan’s a successful businessman in Manhattan NYC; he owns and manages Boyle Software http://www.boylesoftware.com/ in Chelsea near his apartment. He has a pilot’s licence and owns his own airplane; Dan, an English speaking New Yorker also speaks fluent German.

Dan will be taking a week away from his business to join the Bridging the Cayman Island swim crew and will be an integral member of the support team. Dan will be joined by his partner Brooke Bessert, who’s also crewed for both Chris and I on several swims, Brooke will be on the mother ship and have a supporting role as a reserve crew member should she be needed. Dan and Brooke it’s great to have you along!

In the early stages of planning for the Bridging the Cayman Island Swim Dan sent me a few stats;

Your 68mi straight-line swim (as if you’ll go in a straight line) is equal to:

118,315 yards

108,187 meters

2,164 Olympic swimming pool lengths (presumably 50m)

58 nautical miles

1.14354e-11 light years”

Bridge Swim Sponsors

-          Cayman Airways http://www.caymanairways.com/ 

-          Sunshine Suites Resort http://www.sunshinesuites.com/ 

-          Cayman Islands Department of Tourism http://www.caymanislands.ky/ 

-          Cayman Islands Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1594292&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL  

-          Red Sail Sports http://www.redsail.com/en/index.html 

-          Esso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso 

-          Flowers Group http://www.flowersseaswim.com/BridgeSwim/tabid/204/Default.aspx 

-          Caymanian Compass http://www.compasscayman.com/ 

-          Digicel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digicel